Universal Scaling Across Biochemical Networks on Earth

Is biology governed by general organizing principles? New research by eLIFE members suggests that the answer is “yes”. Using a dataset that spans tens of thousands of organisms, and thousands of ecosystems, we find that life’s biochemical networks have features which are conserved across scales of biological organization (i.e. individuals, ecosystems and the biosphere). These features are distinct from random biochemical controls, and can predict whether a biochemical network belongs to an individual or ecosystem, or even a specific domain of life! These results suggest a logic to the planetary-scale organization of biochemistry, and have implications for the transition from a life-less Earth to the one we live on today! Check out the details in the newly updated bioRxiv paper: https://www.biorxiv.org/content/early/2018/03/03/212118